Back then, when Delhi was limited to the municipal boundaries of the walled city of Chandni Chowk with the localities of Paharganj, Sarai Rohilla, Roshanara Bagh, Kishen Ganj, Subzi Mandi and Sadar Bazaar outside it’s precincts. Villages of Tughlakabad, Mehrauli, Palam and Najafgarh were the far far flung suburbs of Delhi and Shadara and Gandhi Nagar in the East were the only colonies beyond Yamuna connected with the Bridge of Boats and the Yamuna Bridge (Lohe ka Pul). These two bridges were the main passage possibility for the commuters coming from the other side of the river and working in Delhi. Tongas and the Harley Davidson 750cc engine fitted four-seaters used to ferry between Old Delhi Railway Station and Trans-Yamuna (Jamna paar as it is called in the local dialect of Delhi – the other side of Yamuna) South, to the Purani Dilli or the Old Delhi, connected by Minto Road, was Cannaught Place and beyond that it was all forest with cluster of villages existing since their establishment during the rule of various Dynasties. Back then, when the roads and places still had their names from the colonial and medieval period…………… back then, when annas was the prevalent currency after rupee ……………….. back then, when coca cola used to sell at four annas (!) ………………….back then, when tongas and bicycles were the mode of transport of the common man………………. back then……………….. when Vespa, the Italian two wheeler company, was gaining entry in India ……………….. back then when ‘traffic’, ‘pollution’ and ‘security’ were the terms unheard of……………….. back then when one could climb till the top storey of the Qutub Minar …………….. back then when Bimal Roy’s Sujata at Odeon and K. Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam at Plaza were heading towards their jubilees……………. back then when Raj Kapoor’s ‘Sab Kuchh Seekha Hamne’, Dilip Kumar’s ‘Koi Pyaar Ki Dekhe Jaadugari’ and Dev Anand’s, ‘Khoya Khoya Chand Khula Aasman’ and Ganguly Brothers’ ‘Babu Samjho Ishare’, were getting popular on Radio Ceylon‘s Binaca Geet Mala ……………. back then, when DLF had started selling plots in South of Delhi and DDA was nowhere on the scene……………… back then, when Delhi’s city transport was known as DTS (and later DTU)………………. back then, when trains were still pulled by the steam engines ……………… back then, when Delhi was mostly Punjabi and ‘hindustani’ dominated…………….. back then, when V.K. Krishna Menon was the Defence Minister under the Prime Minister Chacha Nehru………….back then, when the new American Embassy was opened in Delhi….. ……………… back then, when Burmah Shell, Esso and Caltex were the oil companies selling petrol at Rs.2.00 per gallon !!)………………. back then, when Pragati Maidan was known as Exhibitions Ground…………… back then, when Delhi’s Zoological Park came into existence near the Purana Qila…back then, when India had only sixteen States………………back then, when domestic flights in Delhi used to land at and take off from Safdarjung Aerodrome……………..back then, when Murphy and Philips were the popular brands for the radios……………..back then, when villages of Delhi had no electricity and sewage system………………back then, when HMV’s gramophone was the household music system……………….. back then when angeethi or chulha used to be the source of fire in the kitchens………….back then when telephone numbers used to be in four digits…………….back then, when PIN codes had not come into existence…………….back then, when Eisenhower, the 34th President of USA visited India………..back then, when medium of publicity used to be the local munadiwala………….back then, when thekalaiwala, the manjiwala and the pinjau used to be a common site in the colonies……………….back the, when Delhi used to stop and stand up to observer silence for two minutes at 11.00 am on 30th January……………..back then, when barbers discussed politics with their customers while cutting their hair………………. back then, I started observing Delhi around me.

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2 Comments

April 28, 2008 @ 10:11 AM

Its really a journey into the past. Delhi has a lot of history and culture of its own. Those who think Delhi just as a city of politicians and sarkari babus are quite wrong. And those tourists who just satisfy by visiting a few places like India Gate, Parliament House etc. also surely miss a lot without knowing the actual Delhi. Hope this site will bring into light that unknown, unexplored Delhi.– Seshu, New Delhi

Posted by Medepalli

June 3, 2008 @ 10:59 AM

“Back then… when Delhi used to stop and stand up to observer silence for two minutes at 11.00 am on 30th January”

Raja, it seems like ages since anyone did that! I remember in school I used to look out of the window to see people on the road stop for 2 mins as the sirens went off; i did not know much about Gandhi then (I was in class 1 or 2), but that moment was very solemn and I can still feel the moment. thanks to your chosen words to get that feeling back.– AB

Posted by abasu@aol.in

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